It was below zero this morning when we were making French toast. We lazily drank coffee and waited until things warmed up.
With the sun shining brightly, we clicked into our skinny skis and hit the snowy trails at Catamount Outdoor Family Center. There was great coverage, which is not always the case at this low-elevation Nordic center in Williston, Vermont. And they had groomed and set nice tracks. It was some of the best classic skiing we've done at Catamount!
There are two sides to the...[Read more]

New Orleans on Thursday: High of 70 degrees and humid.
Northern Vermont on Saturday: A couple of inches of new snow and 13 degrees.
Which would you choose??
I didn't have a choice as I was a conference. (OK, New Orleans didn't suck and I learned a lot at the conference!) But I was so very happy to get home and out on the snow this afternoon!
Vermont experienced rain while I was away. Very sad, indeed. But thankfully it snowed last night in northern Vermont. It made things white again at...[Read more]

The arctic temperatures that had a grip on Vermont for the last couple of weeks are leaving. Thank goodness! We got out to ski this afternoon when the temperature got above 0 degrees. We did a cross-country ski tour and found the new snow windblown but rather plentiful and fun.
Yesterday, on a very cold Saturday, we enjoyed making a little video...

The sun came out today and we waited for the thermometer to climb above 0 degrees. It did, so we set out for a New Year's ski.
We had our long, skinny skis that glided quite well on the cold and squeaky snow. We didn't dally. We kept moving to generate heat.
We both had on thick neckwarmers today (NOT normal for Nordic skiing). Mine kept making my face damp from condensation and I'd wipe it dry with a tissue. But when I went down hills I appreciated that my face was covered.
This...[Read more]

We stayed plenty warm while skiing today. All we needed to do is click into our skinny skis and go cross-country skiing!
Temperatures were in the single digits but I could feel all my digits. I actually generated so much heat I had to unzip my jacket and take my hands out of my mittens a few times.
We got a great workout at Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, Vermont. It's very pretty in the woods there. There's good snow coverage and classic tracks were set, as well.
I like...[Read more]

We had some nice snowfall on Friday, so the plan was to hit the cross-country trails on Saturday. But the weather was going to be weird in lower elevations. The forecast called for mixed precipitation and rain. We had to motivate.
We put down our coffee cups and got out for a ski before the rain started. And it was quite good!
At Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, Vermont, we did a big loop through the woods. When we were under the cover of the trees, the snow was powdery and sometimes...[Read more]

I love downhill skiing but on the coldest day it's just downright challenging to keep your extremities from freezing as you dangle on a chairlift and create extra windchill during your descent. What's an avid skier to do?
Whether it's cross-country skiing on your skinny skis at a groomed Nordic center or backcountry skiing in fresh snow in the woods, you can generate plenty of heat by Nordic skiing! The Skimeister and I have been skiing before or after work this past week at Catamount Outdoor...[Read more]

The Skimeister and I got out at lunchtime for some exercise in the brilliant sunshine. We played around in the powdery snow that is in the fields at Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, Vt. Our skis plowed through about four inches of powder as we made loops under blue skies.
Central and northern Vermont were blessed with snow recently, with more than a foot falling at higher elevations during the last week. Southern-most Vermont didn't fare as well this time, but other times they...[Read more]

Today my day started with a lot of snow, and ended with a lot of snow. I started by shoveling my driveway — OK, not so fun — but it ended with a lovely, snowy ski at the Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, Vt. This Chittenden County Nordic center opened for the season today thanks to abundant snowfall this week!
Much of Vermont got dumped on over the last couple of days (see the NWS for snowfall totals — hello, double digits!). There are now 30 inches...[Read more]

We woke up to another morning of steady snowfall. Yes! Snow continued in many places in Vermont during the day.
We took advantage of the re-opening of the nearby Catamount Outdoor Center cross-country network in Williston, Vermont. It's been a tough month for this low-elevation Nordic center, so when we saw the new snow we decided to hit the trails there.
At midday they had about five inches of fresh snow on the trails. The tree branches held fluffy snow and sometimes let...[Read more]

Who was able to find some good skiing in Vermont this weekend? Anyone?
Yesterday's powdery backcountry tour was cold but beautiful, and today I did an afternoon cross-country ski at Catamount Outdoor Family Center in Williston, Vermont. The sun and temperatures were gorgeous! The views weren't too shabby either!
Williston didn't seem to get too much snow out of this storm — perhaps six inches or so. There are some thin spots and grassy spots on the trails,...[Read more]

We're going to be skiing into the New Year in style! The snow's great for all kinds of skiing and riding. Plus, there are torchlight parades and/or fireworks at resorts such as Burke Mountain, Jay Peak, Bolton Valley, Sugarbush Resort, Stowe Mountain and Stratton Mountain this evening.
On the “bummer” side of things on this New Year's Eve, however, Magic Mountain in southern Vermont is closed today and tomorrow because of lift maintenance issues. Really bad timing. At Bolton Valley,...[Read more]

Nordic skiers are rejoicing with all the new snow! And the Nordic ski area operators from northern Vermont to southern Vermont are pretty darn happy, too!
We went to our local cross-country center, Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, Vermont, for a nice classic ski today. There was plenty of snow and the trails we skied were all groomed with classic tracks.
There were some wet spots to avoid on the trail, so some long-term freezing weather would be great! (You really don't...[Read more]

This afternoon I took a ski tour on the outer-most trails on the wooded side (north side) of Catamount Outdoor Center's nordic trails in Williston, Vermont. It was my first time in the woods here this season, and it was very pretty.
Soft powdery snow blanketed the side of the trails and it clung to tree branches. The ski trails had pretty good coverage. There were some icy-wet spots to contend with here and there, and a few rocks to avoid as well.
I had heard that Catamount had...[Read more]

Thanks to a persistent snowstorm this past week, the Prospect, Catamount, Bolton Valley and Stowe Mountain nordic centers joined Trapp Family and Sleepy Hollow nordic skiing centers to open for cross-country skiing in Vermont.
I took my skinny skis out for the first time today. I enjoyed the trails at Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, which is the closest nordic center to the Burlington area. Despite a shaky start -- it took a bit to get my balance at first -- I would catch a good...[Read more]

Gorgeous day here in Vermont's Champlain Valley. Bright sun, blue skies. The snow had frost on top of it this morning at Catamount cross-country ski center, making for some fast skiing. We stayed on the meadow trails to make the most of the sunshine. Here are a few shots from the ski.
What's on tap for this weekend? We're going to mix it up by doing some nordic skiing and some alpine skiing.
Saturday looks like it will be a gorgeous, sunny day in the 20s or so, and Vermont ski resorts were...[Read more]

We did some skating at Catamount nordic center today in Williston. It was our version of a jog.
We skied on about 1.5 inches of new snow. The temperatures were warmer today, so the snow was quite soft.
We skied on the hill on the south side of the cross-country center and only passed one person. The coverage was good and we were out among the milkweed.[Read more]

Remember that snowstorm a few days ago? Well it dumped a lot of snow on the cross-country ski trails at Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, Vermont.
We took a late lunch break and hit the trails for some skate skiing. It was our first this season so we just did one big loop. We skied Night Trail to 3 Rivers to Sandman's.
I felt really out of balance to start. I laughed a lot as I nearly wiped out a few times! The snow was soft so I wasn't feeling super steady until the end of the...[Read more]

The sun shone brightly today on northern Vermont, so the Skimeister and I burned off some steam by taking a lunchtime nordic ski at Catamount Cross-Country Center in Williston, Vermont.
What a gorgeous afternoon it was. The blue skies and the warmth of the sun were fantastic. The snow coverage—not so good. Unfortunately Catamount is at a lower elevation here in the Champlain Valley so it got a few inches of that fluffy snow yesterday, but there was nothing underneath it. The previous warm,...[Read more]

The Skimeister and I had some work and house chores to do this weekend. We felt a bit guilty about skiing on Thursday, so this was our penance. But all work and no play makes the Skimaven cranky, so we made time to do some cross-country skiing this afternoon in nearby Williston, Vermont, at the Catamount Outdoor Center.
Catamount is the closest cross-country trail network to Burlington. It is pretty fun to ski in Burlington at Red Rocks Park or on the Burlington Country Club, but there are no...[Read more]

You know how some people go to the gym at lunchtime? Well I prefer clicking into some skis when I have the time. I took a late lunch today and headed over to the Catamount cross-country center in Williston, Vermont.
Catamount has pretty good snow coverage. It's not at a high elevation, so there isn't as much snow as you'd find in Stowe or at Bolton Valley Resort.
I had my skate skis on and I did a loop up on the hilly meadow before heading over to the wooded side of the nordic network. It...[Read more]

On the way to Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, Vermont, today, we saw about four cars off the road. It was quite unexpected. However, we had strong winds today and the main road that takes you to Catamount was drifted over by snow in places. I believe the road is called Mountain View Road. This is where the cars were—even Subarus, which are normally so dependable!
Our Subaru made it through, but we didn't push our luck after our ski. We took another route home!
This was my first classic...[Read more]

Don't you love it when the National Weather Service reports:
...PERIODS OF MODERATE TO OCCASIONAL HEAVY SNOW EARLY THIS MORNING ACROSS MUCH OF THE NORTH COUNTRY...
It's been snowing this week and things are looking white and beautiful again in the Burlington, Vermont, area. The mountains have received several inches of snow over the last few days. Yee-hah!
Burke Mountain Resort sent out a Powder Alert on Wednesday, encouraging people to play hooky from work. Would have loved to, but...[Read more]

If those twits at Heavenly, Vail and Beaver Creek send me one more e-mail ...
Their multimillion-dollar marketing machine keeps sending me mouth-watering photos of the three to 10 feet (that is not a typo) of snow that has piled up on their totally fabulous resorts in the last week. A photo in a Beaver Creek, Colo., e-mail even showed a skier (or what you could see of him) with a snorkel.
Please don't laugh, it just encourages them.
Normally, this would not phase me, but we've been...[Read more]

Who says you can't get something for nothing?
Just this afternoon I was able to ski for free at Catamount touring center because I accompanied a Catamount center member. They offer this once a month as a membership perk. Sweet!
So off we went on the cross-country trails on the south side of the center. Today was in the low 40s here in Burlington and Williston, so wax-less skis were the order of the day. We had enough kick to move us along, but the downhills were pretty slow because of the...[Read more]

Before hitting the road for Christmas, I clicked into skinny skis and had an enjoyable cross-country tour at Catamount. The Skimeister and I met up with Father Skimeister for a 90-minute ski.
If you don't know Catamount, it's a great resource here in Chittenden County. Located in Williston, it features 35 km of groomed trails that cross open fields and snake through the woods. It's very pretty, yet it's only minutes from downtown Burlington.
Catamount now operates as a nonprofit and they...[Read more]